It is not just in the south of England that huge investment is required for airport operators to keep up with ever-increasing demand for aviation capacity, and Manchester Airport is keen to play a full role in the development of what has been termed the country’s Northern Powerhouse
In July last year, construction work began on one of the UK’s biggest infrastructure development projects: Manchester Airport’s Transformation Programme, or MANTP. This programme is expected to cost approximately £1 billion (US$1.4 billion) and will see the existing Terminal Two facility doubled in size, complete with new piers and supporting facilities such as baggage hall and forecourt.
The transformation programme, the largest private investment in the region, is expected to take 10 years to reach full fruition. It is intended to support the gateway’s role as what operator Manchester Airport Group (MAG) calls “the UK’s global hub in the North of England”.
According to MAG: “The Manchester Airport Transformation Programme will provide millions of passengers and airlines with facilities that combine state-of-the-art services with excellent customer service. With the new development complete, the airport will be able to grow alongside a thriving Northern economy to handle 45 million passengers a year, an increase of almost 20 million compared to today.”
The construction site covers an area of more than 115,000 square metres, and significant progress on the development work has already been completed. By February this year, for example, steel work on one the new piers had been finished, with work continuing rapidly on the terminal extension superstructure.
The Transformation Programme is phased to ensure minimal disruption to airport operations, passengers and airlines.
The six-month mark in the project was reached during February, with the first phase of construction work completed: this was said to be the tightening of the final bolt of the steel framework connecting one of the airport’s new piers to the Terminal Two extension.
At the time, Manchester Airport CEO Andrew Cowan observed: “Today is one of the major milestones for our £1 billion Transformation Programme, which is gathering pace at a rapid rate.
“Through the delivery of the transformation we will have a world-class airport the whole of the North [of England] can be proud of, and one that will attract new airlines and routes so that we can continue to play economic provider by linking the North to key investment and trade opportunities across the globe.”
Passengers are expected to be using the newly expanded terminal by the summer of 2019. Future developments that are expected to represent milestone markers in the Transformation Programme will include the full handover of the first pier, the completion of construction of the second, changes to the local road system, a redesigned Terminal Two forecourt and the building of a new baggage hall for Terminal Two. If all goes to schedule, the first pier should be available for public use by 2019.
“The Manchester Airport Transformation Programme will provide millions of passengers and airlines with facilities that combine state-of-the-art services with excellent customer service.”
Global connectivity
Manchester Airport is now, says MAG, Europe’s 19th-biggest airport, and – already serving more than 210 destinations – is looking to expand its reach further. It is particularly looking for new long-haul services at a time when the UK’s big southern gateways at London Heathrow and London Gatwick are pretty much full to capacity.
MAG’s aim is to become a “top 10 European airport” and – alongside Heathrow – one of the UK’s two primary international gateways.
As part of the process of reaching that goal, the many facets of the MANTP are set to include developments both landside and airside:
• The expansion and reconfiguring of Terminal Two to become the airport’s primary terminal building
• The improvement of Terminal Three to cater for increased demand and an expanding flight schedule
• The introduction of new and enlarged airside transfer facilities, including direct linkage between Terminals Two and Three
• Introduction of the latest technology in two new security halls
• The introduction of a host of new customer-friendly enhancements, including self-service check-in facilities and around 50 food, beverage and retail outlets
• Potentially introducing a US pre-clearance facility, allowing passengers to clear immigration, Customs and agricultural inspection by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) before boarding their flight
• The creation of an operational airport environment that provides greater flexibility and resilience to cater to evolving airline and security needs
• The construction of new stands and piers, offering better departure gate facilities
• The creation of an improved surface access road system to make it easier for customers to come to and from the airport
Airside development
Airside, the improvements will be significant. Says Anna Russell, head of stakeholder liaison and communication for MANTP: “The amount of bussing required at Manchester will be reduced when all the facilities are complete. The scope of the project currently includes three new finger piers, with space for a fourth safeguarded. This will increase the amount of contact stands and reduce the amount of bussing to aircraft required.”
The piers will have airbridges to each stand, enabling passengers to board directly from the departure level. However, because some airlines favour steps rather than airbridges, both processes will be catered for, Russell confirms.
There is the opportunity to put business lounges on top of the finger piers and, she informs: “We are currently talking to our airline customers about their requirements.”
Other changes to the airside operating environment at Manchester will see the introduction of a new dual E taxiway that will enable two widebodied aircraft to pass one another unabated when entering/leaving the main apron area to the south of Terminal Two.
The airfield design will make the best use of space through the introduction of Multiple Apron Ramp System (MARS) stands that will be able to take either two widebodied or three narrowbodied aircraft. “These stands will provide greater flexibility throughout the day and will enable us to better react to changes in airline fleet mix,” Russell remarks.
The design incorporates three pier-severed code F stands, plus two remote code F stands for resilience. Again, these stands will also be usable by narrowbodied aircraft at other times.
There will also be changes to the road layout at Manchester, with the majority of vehicle movements transferring from the rear of stand to the head of stand. This is expected to improve the reliability of journey times for both taxiing aircraft and airside vehicles as there will be no need to stop baggage trucks, servicing and delivery vehicles for aircraft to pushback.
In terms of the scheduled milestones for these developments, the plan is for the first new stands to open for this summer. The first new pier is to open in April 2019, with the new terminal opening in 2020. The second pier is scheduled to open in April 2022 and the third pier in April 2024; the full project is expected to be completed in 2024.
